I just turned 35 years old and definitely feel better at 35 than I did at 25! I am married to an amazing man who actually got me started on keto! If it weren’t for him I would have never been able to do this. We also have a puggle puppy named Sawyer who is like a child to me! Now that we have lost a lot of weight we are starting to think about possibly bringing a real child into this world someday! I currently work in finance and as much as I do love my job I’m really starting to consider a career change to be able to help people with their health and nutrition. As far as hobbies, I enjoy event/wedding planning, collecting anything T-Rex related, and I have recently found a love for coffee so I’ve been having a lot of fun trying out different types of coffee everywhere I go! I also love your typical Florida activities such as going to the beach and spending a lot of time at Disney!

YOUR KETO JOURNEY:

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN KETO?

On January 4th it will be exactly 1 year

HOW DID YOU COME TO THE KETO WAY OF EATING?

About 6 years ago my husband went to the Dr. and was told he is borderline diabetic and needed to take control immediately and it was suggested he look at the Atkins Diet and read up on it and get started right away. We both decided to do it and we did really well for a while. We counted only carbs at the time and I lost about 80lbs. During that time I was in grad school, planning our wedding and working 50 hours a week. I let stress get the best of me and I just stopped taking care of myself. I allowed myself to not only gain back the 80 I lost but another 20 on top of that for 100lbs total. Over the next 5 years I had lost and gained back the same 50 lbs over and over again. Finally as we ended 2015 I just finally decided enough was enough I was entering my mid 30’s and I had let so much time already go by feeling miserable. If I ever wanted a chance at having kids I needed to take control of my life so I did just that. My husband and I re-committed ourselves to this lifestyle and will never go back! After a lot of research we really got a great understanding of the keto diet this time and it is our life now and we will continue to eat this way for the rest of our life.

WHAT KIND OF RESULTS HAVE YOU GOTTEN FROM EATING KETO?

Since my highest weight of 381lbs I have lost about 176lbs total. 125lbs of that was lost over the entire year of 2016. In my waist alone, in 2016 I have lost about 22 inches. I went from a size 30 pants to a 16. Outside of losing the weight, I have also gained a confidence in myself that I don’t think I ever had! My relationship with my husband, family and friends has also improved because I’m not a miserable person anymore. I find myself enjoying things I never thought I would and I have fun living life now and I don’t have to be fearful of doing something because of my weight any longer.

HAVE YOU HAD ANY SETBACKS OR CHALLENGES IN YOUR KETO JOURNEY?

Getting started is always the hardest. Temptations are everywhere and it is hard not to cave in. Since I really committed to keto I have not had any setbacks. I have come to the realization that I do have an addiction to food and eating keto is kind of like my form of abstinence. In the past when I would do “cheat days” It would take me weeks and sometimes months to come back from them. I would plan to cheat one day and every single time I would spiral out of control. Keto allows me to control the cravings and the binge eating issues I once had.

LET'S TALK ABOUT FOOD!

WHAT ARE A COUPLE OF YOUR GO-TO KETO MEALS?

Turkey bacon and eggs!, Taco Salad and Shrimp and Zoodles!

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE KETO ESSENTIALS YOU ALWAYS HAVE ON YOUR GROCERY LIST?

WHAT SITES, BLOGS, IG PAGES, FACEBOOK GROUPS, ETC… DO YOU GO TO FOR INFORMATION AND/OR INSPIRATION?

Facebook groups: Ketogenic Dieters and Ketogains

WHAT ARE THE TOP 3 TIPS YOU WOULD GIVE TO A KETO NEWBIE?

Pre-plan your meals!! Know in advance what you are eating for the day! It helps to eliminate the temptation of eating something you shouldn’t!

Keep on top of your electrolytes! If you start feeling run down while eating keto 99% of the time it is probably electrolytes!

Don’t over complicate things! Getting too crazy with the recipes in the beginning can lead you right back down the path you were already on. I’ve seen too many people start making elaborate keto friendly dishes but not lose weight because they are still over eating!

YOU CAN ONLY EAT 5 KETO APPROVED FOODS FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, WHAT ARE THEY?

Eggs, Ground Beef, Guacamole, Chicken and Cholula Chipotle Hot Sauce

EXERCISE! DO YOU DO IT?!

DO YOU EXERCISE IN ADDITION TO YOUR KETO WOE? IF SO WHAT IS YOUR WORKOUT PLAN AND WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE MOST SUCCESSFUL?

I lift weights for exercise. For a long time I did the ketogains 5x5 novice program which can be found on their site here.

Currently I am enrolled in a ketogains bootcamp and following a workout routine set up by the coaches. It involves a lot of squats!